In his memoir of working in the Secret Service, Within Arm’s Reach, Dan Emmett said that he was inspired by seeing an agent on television jump onto the presidential convertible during the JFK assassination to join the service. That agent was Clint Hill. Five Days in November is his memoir of JFK’s fatal trip to Texas, the family’s crushed return home to Washington, and the nation saying goodbye to its 35th executive. It is written by a man clearly haunted by the fact that he could have, should have, done more, despite any reader familiar with the details knowing otherwise. The memoir is rich in photos, including shots I’ve never seen before — like a rear shot of Jackie and the kids watching the funeral from the Truman Balcony — and is often moving. Obviously there are moments like little Jack saluting his father — a move he’d been practicing for an Armistice Day visit weeks before — but Jackie and Caroline kneeling at JFK’s casket and kissing the flag was also powerful. More than anything, though, this memoir drove home the close connection between JFK and JBK despite his frequent adultery, and how much he appreciated her own celebrity. The early days of this are full of him joking that they’d all come to see her, not him. While more appropriate for November reading, this was an engaging if somber read that lets Hill take readers through JFK’s last days and see behind the scenes.

Related:
Within Arm’s Reach, Dan Emmett
Killing Kennedy, Bill O’Reilly